What DVD have you just watched?

 Hi MDS,

I think this was a powerful war film, and the Tiger Tank was a tour de force. I felt that the ending was somewhat inconsistent with what had preceded it. I would have been far happier with a more grounded, less gung-ho ending, to me it felt that it was grafted on from a very different film.

M

Yes, I agree about the ending. I also couldn't help think 'oh, for goodness sake' at the scene where Pitt gets his shirt off.  He seems to manage that at at least one point in every film I've seen him in.

The Machine

I think this is the best sci-fi film I have watched in years. I suppose it could be criticised for re-hashing old ideas, but then so could nearly anything! The point for me was that I was fully engaged, and cared.

In brief this is set in the near future when a cold war has been running between China and the West. Toby Stevens plays a scientist who is working to create an AI. At this point I was expecting the film to go n a certain direction, but it followed anther path - not unpredictable, but very well executed.

A film made on a budget of £1 million. I wish I had seen this on the big screen, it deserved to make money.

M

Noah

Well, mmmmm, strange; but not without entertainment.

Aronofsky is an interesting director, and there are some beautifully realised elements in this. If I was to have an objection to anything here is would not be religious, it would be that this is heavy handed allegory - something that always causes me issues.

Emma Watson continues to impress me as an actress, although she is not really given a lot here to work with - she can cry very convincingly; a very traditional female role! Anthony Hopkins is grafted in to lend some gravitas, which seem to be his trademark roles nowadays. Russell Crowe is given some suitably emotional material and handles it in a workmanlike way.

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Ray Winstone plays the heavy and I would really have liked to see a bit more shading. For this film to have truly worked for me I needed there to be a more empathetic relationship between him and Ham. His character is just so bloody minded, in the literal sense, that I found much of the third act hard to accept.

</spoiler>

Overall, I actually quiet enjoyed it, although I thought that the story needed some extra work; I was unconvinced by some of the character motivations and actions.

M

PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING - PLEASE DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO WATCH THIS FILM!!

Can any actor have a more varied career than Nic Cage? This is a man who can act, but frequently just chooses to mug at the camera - and his film choices!

That said Michael Caine just chose what was offered him and in the 70s and 80s made a ton of crap, in his more senior years he was offered, or accepted, better parts. I think his technique was to read a script and if he was at the beginning and the end he accepted it.

We sat there watching it and couldn't work out if it was meant to be tongue in cheek or not. When we realised it wasn't it just confirmed we'd wasted 2 hours of our lives we'll never get back.

The Blu-ray disc was last seen in a bin that was emptied on Friday. 

Easily the worst film i've ever seen. 

2001 again, still don't understand it, but considering the age SFX still very good.

Started the latest version of Godzilla, SWMBO fell asleep so we will finish it later.

Hi Matt,

I watched this for the first time a couple of days ago. I did find it interesting viewing, although I found myself comparing the morality of the protagonists with that of the director/writer.

Still, worth a watch - and I mean to recommend it to my eldest daughter who visited Barcelona last year and whose photos were of many of the locations that feature in the film.

M

I found myself pondering that same point Mr. M. 

Beautiful city though.

The Godfather, via Sky boxsets. Still a great film and continues to work very well.

Even the worst crap that Caine played in is Shakespeare compared to this flick starring Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage - absolutely his worst effort yet.

EJ

Even worse than Jaws:The Revenge???

M

Yes

Guardians of the Universe on Sky+, what a really silly and most enjoyable film.

I'm still traumatised from it!

I guess most of us have watched the behind the scenes/makings of pieces after watching a film you've enjoyed and knowing how many people are involved in the process of film making, how can so many people get it so wrong? Surely it was obvious to all that they were producing an absolute dog of a movie, so why not do something about or just kill it? 

The Tv & film industry have some of the brightest people working in it, so i'm staggered that productions as bad this slip through the net. 

Vikings Series 2 first 3 episodes.

Wow .....makes me almost WANT to see it!

It's worse than Howard the Duck. Still want to see it?

Speaking of Caine, I watched Play Dirty last night.  I'm not sure how this one passed me by.  Pretty good it is too, although just a little frustrating because you sense that here is potentially a great film that just lacks that certain little something to make it really special.

Nice soundtrack. Definitely worth playing though Naim Amps.

FC, Koyaanisqatsi was a favourite demo disc of mine when the n-Vi and n-System package was launched.  As you say, definitely worth playing through Naim amps...